Disclaimer: I do talk about a few spoilers at the end of the review. I make it pretty clear when I talk about them, but just to warn you ahead of time, I figured I should add this. Do not read the spoilers unless you have seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens, or if you’re a rebel (no pun intended)

I would like to take this time to address the dozens and dozens of people over the span of three years who insisted that “Disney is going to ruin Star Wars,” or “Disney is going to make everything computer-animated,” or “Disney is going to bring back Jar Jar Binks.” No. Luckily none of those are true. In fact, the people at Disney and the brilliant mind of Director, J.J. Abrams resurrected a dying franchise and successfully saved Star Wars from having more (in my opinion) bad movies than good movies.

So after three long years of waiting impatiently for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, was the hype well deserved? Well, I can safely say that Episode Seven easily surpasses the level of hype and then some. The story, like most Star Wars films, has various plotlines weaving in and out of each other. One, involves a former stormtrooper named Finn (played by John Boyega), running into a star pilot for the rebellion named Poe (played by Oscar Isaac), and intercepting a map that leads to the whereabouts of Luke Skywalker, who went missing some time between Episodes Six and Seven. Meanwhile, Finn meets Rey (played by Daisy Ridley), a scavenger who is trying to survive on her home planet of Jakku.

While every actor in this film was phenomenal, the the main stand out is Adam Driver, who plays Kylo Ren. Ren, the newest villain in the collection of memorable villains that Star Wars has compiled over the years, brings chilling every time he appears on screen. Daisy Ridley also plays an incredible role as Rey, and fits in perfectly with the rest of the cast. For those who are unaware, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamil all reprise their roles as Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker respectively, and they all three knock it out of the park as if it hadn’t been almost three decades since they had been together in a Star Wars film.

The effects in this film should not be underestimated. The CGI moments in the film make battles between TIE Fighters and X-Wings beautiful, and seamlessly blend in with the breathtaking landscapes which were filmed in many locations including Ireland, Scotland, Iceland and the United Arab Emirates. It makes you wonder what the prequels or the special DVD editions with many, many, many unnecessary CGI additions would be like if they had the technology they used today. And yes, I can hear you screaming “How are the lightsaber fights?” The few in there really awesome, and I want a toy lightsaber immediately.

The Force Awakens, similar to its counterparts, shows its scenes in a way that truly keeps you on the edge of your seat through the entire film, with no real recognizable slow or dull moments. Fans of the original three films will be happy to know that they’re many references to the previous movies, although most might be too great to spoil. Also, for those who may have never seen any previous Star Wars films (do those people exist?), The Force Awakens does a great job of explaining itself, and never was I confused or lost simply because I didn’t remember a specific detail from the previous movies.

With that being said, I do recommend seeing at least the original three movies, as all three are fine examples of modern science fiction and storytelling. No matter what, you have to see this film, because it just might be the best thing you see all year. How long do I have to wait for Episode Eight? Two years? Ugh…

*****SPOILERS AHEAD. UNLESS YOU’VE SEEN THE FORCE AWAKENS, DO NOT GO ANY FURTHER*****

Kylo Ren becomes one of the best characters in this film not only because of his brooding presence, but because of what happens when he takes off the mask. Barely even 20 years old, you can tell that the weight of the entire First Order starts to weigh on him. The reveal of Kylo Ren being the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia, a twist shown toward the middle of the film, had my jaw dropping. Not to mention, the eventual death of Han Solo by his own son equally managed to shock me. The lightsaber battles still remain to be one of the highlights of the film, especially the one between Kylo Ren, Finn and Rey. The reveal at the very end of Rey meeting an old Luke Skywalker, obviously sets up the next two episodes, where Luke presumably begins to train Rey. Considering that the reason Luke even left in the first place was because he failed at his task of training Han and Leia’s son, who eventually becomes Ren, his success at this task has yet to be seen.

I also want to talk about a theory made by many people claiming that Luke Skywalker has actually moved to the dark side between films. Although this theory has seemed very plausible, the film so far has done its best to ignore this (for now). There have been plenty of reasons why this could be true, as shown in the complete lack of promotion involving Skywalker leading up to the film. Although the characters/writers seem to deny this in the dialogue, I still think this theory may hold weight as the later episodes unfold, as Luke comes out of hiding. No matter what happens, the final scene of The Force Awakens was a very enticing ending, providing many questions that will have fans guessing during the long wait until May 26, 2017.